Life circumstances have bestowed upon me the gift of time. I called Mom last weekend and we began talking ancestry again (one of our favorite topics). I’m not sure if I’ll be visiting Georgia this summer, but the seed has been planted. I’ve renewed the research catalogue we use for the family tree. And have begun going back through the photographs taken over the last two summers in Georgia and South Carolina.

History excites me; I love the ghosts of the past. Especially if they are connected to the history of our family. Mom has (almost) traced our ancestry back to the Scottish Highlanders in Darien, Georgia (Irish side of family, perhaps Scots-Irish). When we were at John Wesley’s place (English clergyman and founder of Methodism) on St. Simons Island, we read several accounts in old ledgers that led us to believe a member of our family was a Scottish Highlander. The search goes on for that one definitive piece of recorded evidence to back it up.

The Highlanders were known for their battle skills and the British recruited them to help settle the Colonies. Scottish troops serving in the British Army were sent to Georgia in 1736 to set up a new outpost. Under the leadership of General James Oglethorpe, these men established the settlement of Darien and a sawmill along the Altamaha River.

Mom, Liz, and I visited the buzzing wildness of Fort King George last summer. We braved the dripping humidity to walk through one of the ancient cemeteries at the edge of Darien, and the perimeter of a tabby building, now a historic site, that was one of the first black churches in the area (at the time many people in Darien were against slavery). It’s a sleepy, quiet river town. And boy, was it hot there last July!

Warrior Shield: History of the Targe

We had driven to Darien after our stay on beautiful St. Simons Island and a visit to Fort Frederica. St. Simons played a pivotal role in the struggle for empire between the competing colonial interests of England and Spain. Georgia’s fate was decided in 1742 when Spanish and British forces clashed on the Island. Fort Frederica’s troops defeated the Spanish, ensuring Georgia’s future as a British colony. Today, the archeological remnants of Frederica are protected by the National Park Service.

While Liz was out taking video of a British reenactment at Fort Frederica (complete with musket fire), Mom and I, sweat-covered and tired, slipped into the historical area where it was cool and checked out the books and exhibits. I was immediately drawn to the glass case with what looked like a life-sized mandala shield that turned out to be a targe.

One of our ancestors may have worn The Black Watch Tartan (plaid fabric) authorized for use by the Scottish troops serving in the British Army. Or maybe they carried a targe. I did find a link to the history of the targe written by a man who is still constructing them by hand — John Stewart, The Targeman. According to his site, the targe dates back to the 16th Century and was once the Scottish Highlander’s first line of defense. I was fascinated by the details in these excerpts:

Construction —
Targes are round shields between 18″ and 21″ (45–55 cm) in diameter with an inside formed from two very thin layers of flat wooden boards, the grain of each layer at right angles to the other. Targes were fixed together with small wooden pegs, forming plywood. The front was covered with a tough cowhide that was fixed to the wood with many brass, or in some cases, silver, nails. Sometimes brass plates were also fixed to the face for strength and decoration.

Some targes had center bosses of brass, and a few of these could accept a long steel spike which screwed into a small “puddle” of lead which was fixed to the wood, under the boss. When not in use, the spike could be unscrewed and placed in a sheath on the back of the targe.

Materials —
Most targes had their back covered with cow and goat, and 80% of original targes still show straw, crude wool and other stuffing material beneath their ruined skins. Some targes, usually those actually used in battle, had their backs covered in a piece of red cloth taken from the uniform of a government soldier (a “Redcoat”) that the owner had killed in battle.

Design —
The face of a targe was often decorated with embossed Celtic style patterns. Typically two general patterns were used – concentric circles, or a centre boss with subsidiary bosses around this. An exception is the targe in Perth Museum in Scotland which is of a star design (see photo at his site). Although some targe designs appear to have been more popular than others, there is very little to indicate that there ever were “clan” designs.

The targe reminds me of a protective mandala — a warrior shield. Yet I had to wonder how much protection it actually provided in times of war. The Targeman answered that question, too. He mentioned that after the disastrous defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the carrying of the targe would have been banned, and many may have been destroyed or put to other uses.

Epilogue

It gave me an eerie feeling knowing I was walking the same ground my ancestors had centuries before. It’s not that all of this historical detail will make it into a memoir — it’s terra firma, a place to stand. The composting of past experience lays the ground for the person I have become. What if an ancestor’s Black Watch Tartan and Targe, in some strange way, blazed the way for the mandala practice last year? And the circle archetype must hold both war and peace.

28 Responses

I think it’s great that you found a link between your ancestry as it relates to the targe and your own connectedness to the mandala. Isn’t that amazing?

Also, it dawned on me that the blog provides a place for you to document some of the historical research you’re doing for your memoir, and it provides a publishing outlet. So even if these details don’t make it into the memoir, they do make it out. You’ve got a place to publish what you find during the excavation process. That’s pretty cool.

BTW, what is the best time of year to go to Georgia? Perhaps you can time your next trip there such that you hit it then.

ybonesy, my mind works in strange ways. I was thinking that as well, that it’s a place for me to process some of the historical information. It helps to make connections like the targe and the mandala, powerful symbols. Then the way that ends up in memoir is to personalize the experience.

Mom and I run into all kinds of historical data in this ancestry quest. She’s really good at digging in, reading long laborious passages to get to one tidbit of info that’s related to our ancestry. Last summer, we hit a gold mine, a whole long passage, actually many pages, on the repeated use of a female first name in our family history in Georgia.

There were so many rich details and the writer was funny. It was probably written in the 1800’s some time and it was casual, like the guy was writing about the neighborhood. I have to ask Mom which name it was that repeated, my mind is rusty. But finding gems like that make it all worth it.

Oh yb, the best time to go to Georgia is SPRING! That would almost be now, well, maybe early April, around Easter is perfect. Everything is in bloom and the smells — amazing. In Minnesota, Spring is not here until late May. Quite a difference.

For some reason, I never seem to make it to Georgia in the Spring. It’s always the dead hot of summer, July or August, and it’s so darned humid you can’t move. The good thing though is that it reminds me of my childhood playing outside. I was always so sweaty and hot. I have body memories of those summers in the South! Good for the memoir. 8)

QM, this post came at a perfect time for me. Today I began reading Walking The Trail. What struck me about the author was the forward in his book. The following is just a small piece of it:

“By 1800 the Cherokee had intermarried with the Scots-Irish and the British. All it took was a drop or two of Cherokee blood to be considered Cherokee. Some say that Cherokee is not a matter of blood at all, but a thing of the spirit.”

Because of the nature of the book, I have to wonder if you or Mom have looked into, or found any info that would link the family history to the Cherokee? D

diddy, your comment is really uncanny. I was just going to go back to your comment on Book Talk (and I still will) and leave a comment there, too. But since you asked, I have to say, yes we have. Mom had always told me that she thought her great grandmother (Elise’s grandmother) might be Cherokee. Then when we met with one of Mom’s cousins last summer, she confirmed that she thought she was Cherokee, too. She is the one that Grandmother Elise used to go and pick herbs with down by the tracks when she was a young girl, gathering to make remedies.

I was going to say to ybonesy, that there are so many different sides to our family trees, and oral histories are really important because there is usually some truth to them. If you collect enough of the same story, you might be able to go back and get documented family history somewhere. I’ll have to ask Mom, but I don’t think there are any photographs of Mom’s great grandmother though. It’s harder to trace the female sides of the families back because of the name changes.

I think that’s so cool that you are reading Walking The Trail. It sounds like something I would like to read, too, for the historical perspective. I did not know a ton about the Trail of Tears until my 30’s when I went to MCAD and started studying that part of our country’s history. It’s a very sad chapter. I’d love to hear more about it as you move along into the book. Whatever you wish to share.

QM, I know you would enjoy the book. It just kind of jumped out at me & when I read what it was about, I knew I had to have it. So far, it’s been a great read. The author is from Alabama, but takes a Greyhound to Oklahoma & begins the journey backwards toward home. I had to put it down as I am a closet American Idol addict. Well, I guess not anymore!
I’ll probably read through it in a day. Now I’m even more curious of the family history. You & Mom have made great strides in putting together the material that we so cherish & can pass on.
Both my Mom & Dad are interested in reading the book. My Dad is a huge history buff & he knows about the trail. I’ll most likely pass it on to him. That’s what I do to recycle my books instead of allowing them to pile up.
Anyhow, now my interest is peaked & I hope we can discover more. I might just start doing some digging myself. D

QM, How cool is that to find you’re related to the notorious big, bad ass warriors in kilts? And when you think about how giant the Highlanders were… going into battle with something only 18-21″ in width to shield them…well, Holy Moses…no wonder they re-thought the Targe. They’d have been better off with a modern day metal trash can lid!

I hope Liz was prepared for the Musket fire. At Edinburgh Castle (in Scotland) they didn’t warn me about the cannon ball fire at 1pm sharp and I damn near had a heart attack. Thought the Frenchies were comin…

BTW…They shoot it off at 1pm so they only have to use up one cannon ball. You know how frugal the Scots are…;)

diddy, I like the travel by Greyhound bus from Oklahoma back to Alabama to explore the Trail of Tears. That’s a great angle from which to approach a book like that. It draws you in to the landscape and the sense of place. And something about the ambling of a Greyhound bus these days, too, when everything else moves so quickly.

About the ancestry digging, it would not be nearly as much fun without Mom there and her perspective. In fact, I can’t imagine the work without her. Her history in the South, her knowledge of that side of the family, all add to the seeking and finding of information and applying it in useful ways. She really has done a ton of work on it and I appreciate it immensely.

I also enjoy that time with her. Quality time. It’s close to my heart. 8)

oh, diddy, Liz and I are closet American Idol fans, too. Hate to admit it. We were watching the Wild Card performances last night. There is something about these young ones getting up there under tremendous pressure and singing their hearts out (or not). I like that they added a new judge this year, too, another woman. Evens it out more. 8)

Heather, I’d love to visit Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, or any castle in Scotland. I’ve always wanted to go there and have never really known why I had that hankering. Some of my family have been drawn to and gone back to Ireland. And even though I’m sure we have ancestry there, I’ve never been drawn to go to Ireland as much as Scotland. It’s strange.

Funny about the cannon balls, too. That WOULD have been loud! I would have jumped out of my skin. Liz and I watch the International Ghost Hunters and last week, they went to a couple of places in Scotland I want to visit sometime. One was the Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Being a photographer, I’m sure you visited it when you were there. In fact, I wonder if you even might have done a post on it (if you did, leave the link here). I’d love to see it in person. I think they concluded that it is haunted. It’s connected to the building next store via the basement.

The original building dates from the 18th Century. But the camera itself from the 1850’s. [At this link you can see photos of what it’s like today CAMERA OBSCURA (LINK.)]

In the early 1850’s, Maria bought a tenement which had once been the townhouse of the old Laird of Cockpen. She then installed a camera obscura on top of it and exhibitions calling it Short’s Observatory and Museum of Science and Art.

Then it goes into the history with Partick Geddes. He seemed like an artist-type, though his background is in biology and sociology. He liked to study the behavior of people. And you can see the whole town of Edinburgh reflected on the inside of the Camera Obscura. Cool photos at the link.

PATRICK GEDDES
In 1892, Patrick Geddes, a famous town planner and sociologist, bought the Tower in a public auction. He re-named it the Outlook Tower because he wanted to change people’s outlook. Geddes used the camera obscura to change the way people looked at life and the interaction between town and country.

QM, I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only AI fan & have been since the first year, though I told myself that I wouldn’t watch, I did, & became hooked. It is the only so called reality show that I watch.
I was a bit sad to read that you might not go to Georgia this year? Do you still plan a visit here?
As for the book. I suppose you do know that the author rides the Greyhound to Oklahoma & walks the trail to home from there. His home in Albama is on the ground that his ancestors had been forced out of in 1938. Though much of the trail is now County & State roads, I admire his determination. In addition, he has also traveled the Pony Express Trail by foot, horseback, and covered wagon.
I’d bet money that the family tree has some Cherokee blood, based on when the Scots-Irish & Britains came to that area.
I had wanted to mention that I really enjoyed this post & your research & photos always amaze me.
BTW, I once took a Greyhound from Iowa back to Western PA. Over 2 days, just to avoid the plane trip I had already paid for, but freaked out at the last minute. This was in the early 70’s & I met some very interesing people on that trip. D

Oddly QM, I did not visit the Camera Obscura. I was venturing around finding out about Robert Burns, the green “forever” hills, the farms and pondering over the different colored sheep. The farmers spray paint them in different colors to identify them. I thought it was fascinating. But! the castles were great too! I loved Eilean Donan Castle the best. Just like in a story book.

I had dreamed about going to England my whole life because I absolutely love British History…old Henry and all. At 40, I finally had some money to do it. Landed on the day of Lady Diana’s funeral procession… of all things. (That’s a story in itself). But as I traveled through Ireland, I thought I’d found Heaven…that was… until I saw Scotland. It and Nova Scotia are 2 of the best places on earth. Now QM, Scotland’s food would kill you, but you’d die happy looking at the landscape and living amongst the nicest people. They’re hardworking and completely genuine.

I remember a bed and breakfast somewhere by Loch Ness. When I signed in and the Lady of the house read “Huntington Beach, CA”…she ran up the stairs after me all excited. She asked me in the thickest Scottish Brogue…”Do ya happen ta know me boy Shamus?!”. I had to keep from smiling when I told her no. She said he was visiting my hometown to surf and would be there all summer. I didn’t have the heart to tell her there’s about 200,000 of us. Instead, with my biggest grin I said “I’ll be sure to look out for him when I get back home!”. That seemed to make her happy…and it makes me smile to think on now…and yes, I did listen for his name whenever I was at the beach that whole summer.

Don’t wait too long to go QM. Take Liz by the hand and get going as soon as time and money permit. It will make some memories for a lifetime.

Heather, really fun comment to read about your trip to Ireland and Scotland. Robert Burns, the painted sheep. And also the mother of Shamus. That’s really sweet. And landing in England during Lady Diana’s funeral procession? Wow. From a photographer’s perspective, that seems like such a stroke of luck. You sure have some amazing stories, Heather. Life always seems to drop you right smack dab into the center of things. 8)

I do want to take Liz’s hand and head off to visit Scotland and England someday. I want to see the art, the landscape, some of the ancient Celtic sites. A couple of my brothers have been to Ireland with their Dad. In fact, one of them just posted a few photos on the MyHeritage site that we all just joined. Quite fun. Another brother and I talked about going to Scotland together. Maybe we’ll have to plan it sooner, rather than later. You are right — you just have to go do these things while the dream is still alive.

diddy, nope, for sure not the only AI fan! Every year we go, nope, don’t tape that. Then we do. 8)

I’m not sure about Georgia yet. I am contemplating. But every time I talk to Mom and we get into the ancestry stuff again, I get bit by the bug and want to go back and learn more. It’s just so fascinating. So stay tuned. I may head to Georgia again this summer! I’m keeping it on the back burner.

In Walking the Trail, I didn’t know the author rode the Greyhound to Oklahoma then walked the trail back. Wow. That’s really something. It’s like a giant pilgrimage, a slow walk across all the grief and sadness of that time. That takes dedication. And guts to open up to feeling all that grief. What’s the author’s name again?

Yes, I’d like to find out more about Mom’s great grandmother. The family oral histories all say she was Cherokee. But I think we’ve just started poking into that side of the family, Elise’s side. One thing about the histories of families, the more they had in terms of wealth or notoriety, the easier it is to track them. If you have family members from the poorer side of town, records are not as good. There was just no money for photographs or recording history. Except perhaps in a family Bible entry or something like that. So you really have to depend on the oral histories. Many times wealthier colonial families had crests and a family coat of arms. When you start digging into the past in detail, you can really see how much this country is truly a mix of all cultures.

What were you in Iowa for, diddy? I forgot that you hate to fly. I suppose if you ever make it out West, you’ll be driving. 8) What kind of characters did you meet?

QM, I was in Iowa in the fall after graduation, because my boyfriend & some other friends installed new cable wires all over the country. We were also in Ohio, Wisconsin, & Indiana. Each job would last for at least a month. Although we had a lot of fun, I was homesick & tired of all the traveling. I also took care of the books for these trips. The biggest reason I cancelled the flight was due to the fact that part of the trip would have put me on a very small puddle jumper. I would be alone & I was too afraid. D

QM, I don’t know if you remember but Mimbres Man went to Scotland last summer on a biking trip. He sent me photos he took of a cemetery, and the photos were filled with orbs and strange shadows. I meant to send them to you but don’t believe I did, and now I don’t have them. I’ll have to write to him to send them our way. Maybe he can write a post about his experience.

Regarding oral histories, I agree they hold truth in them. I suppose some contain rumors or misinformation, but I tend to think they contain more true than false information. Also, in families, doesn’t it seem that one person tends to be the person who becomes the keeper of the family tree research? Like, in your family, your mom has taken on that role. Do other family members of hers—cousins, second cousins, etc.—come to her to see what she’s compiled?

My mom has a second cousin who has compiled information on her father’s family tree. And my uncle has done a lot of research on my dad’s family tree. I’m glad we have people who have undertaken this detailed work; it helps the rest of us.

Although, I think of all the family history, it is my parents’ stories that most hold my interest.

Heather, the painted sheep would be amazing to see. Any photos of those?

Also, every time I read about an international trip you’ve taken, I remember your incredible airsickness problem. I think, my God, that girl really is motivated to travel to put herself through that kind of torture. And your husband must be a saint to put himself through talking you off the ledge. 8)

QM and yb…back then I used a video camera so it’s hard to take a look. I should have some digital stills made so I can post them. And yes, those sheep were pretty dang funny.

The plane thing IS really a drag and unfortunately I can’t drink myself into oblivion (allergic to alcohol) My husband isn’t quite a saint and I still have to drag him around everywhere… but once he’s there, he’s a good sport and he’s always open to adventure. He has to talk the taxi guys into taking me when I first get off a plane. I’m usually green and disoriented and look like a “way too early” release from re-hab.

Once, in France, the guy loaded the bags before he saw me…then he took one look and tossed then back on the sidewalk and squealed off. That still cracks me up.

QM, the author of the book is Jerry Ellis.
Ummm, the folks I met on the Greyhound. One, a girl who was about my age who began her travel from California to New Jersey, but made stops along the way. We parted in Chicago, where I had a 2 hour delay & had lunch with the bus driver. She was staying in Chicago for several days. The next person was a guy, again about my age. We sat together in the back of the bus. You could smoke in the back in those days. He had a bottle of gin & soda & we shared that all the way to Pittsburgh. Some of the passengers were a bit strange for a young country bumpkin like me! But, I think the whole trip cost me $50.00.
You could ride cross country for that same price! D

Heather, that cracks me up about the taxi guy in France. My longest flight was to Hawaii once, way back when. I did okay on the way there. But for some reason, on the way back, I got motion sickness. Didn’t lose it totally…but I was so green when I got off that plane. I don’t do well on the long flights. Liz bought these pressure point wrist bands that she used on the flight to Atlanta last year. They really did work. I used them when we were driving around Augusta, too (I tend to get car sick) and they really helped. I’m sold on them now. I think she got them at a drugstore.

So you were taking video back then. It’s hard to work with video without the right software. Video stills can be great though. It’s just going through all the footage to get to a good still. I wish I knew more about video. Liz has some great equipment. She spends a lot of time rendering though. I am more inclined toward individual photo stills. I wonder what draws some to video and film and some to photography.

ybonesy, I had forgotten about MM’s trip to Scotland. But I do remember you talking about the photos of orbs and shadow people. In the Ghostbusters shows they often talk about the Shadow People. Once they were in this old sanitarium, I think in Massachusetts, and they filmed these shadows running back and forth across the halls. Yes, ask him if he wants to do a Guest piece about the cemeteries in Scotland, complete with photos. That would be great. Would love to hear his experiences.

Regarding the oral histories, I think they are very important. And some cultures only pass down the oral history and not much is written down. The Storytellers. I do think that certain people in the family tend to be the Archivers, the keepers of the stories and histories. I think it’s good to know who those people are. Sounds like in your family, it’s the second cousin on your Mom’s side, and your uncle on your Dad’s side. And for diddy, her Dad has done a lot of the archiving.

In my family, Mom has taken on the role. I know with one of my step-dad’s, his brother documented their history. I gave a copy of it to my brother, R3, a few years ago when I got back from Georgia. Mom’s in touch with some of her relatives who are also the Archivers in their families. Together, they can piece together quite a bit. It is incredibly detailed work and takes a lot of patience. There are a couple of steps to it: the research part, digging and networking and making connections, kind of like detective work. Then compiling it all into a document or software that makes sense and keeping track of all the changes, photos, details,and pulling it all together into one complete package. I tend to like that part more….pulling all the pieces into a whole. Mom’s great at figuring out all the pieces to the puzzle. It’s good work.

I use those too QM…the wrist bands along with Dramamine and sleepy cold medicine…sort of an airplane cocktail. And like you, I use them when driving…usually in the mountains. They were originally invented for the Royale Navy. My Father sent away for some in the early 80’s and gave them to me after my first flight with my Grandmother when I was 20. I knew I was in bad shape but kept smiling for her sake until I watched her chew on little breakfast sausages from Ontario to Phoenix…whew! 2 passengers and one Flight attendant each offered me an ear patch to get home. My second flight was Hawaii and I had to use “The dreaded bag”.

They now have wrist ones that give you an little consistent shock (very minor but just irritating enough) and they can be used even after you’re already sick. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly freaking out that I don’t have that little nub thing at the right pressure point on the wrist. What if you have 3 fat fingers or 3 thin fingers 😉

I rode the commuter train to Santa Fe last Saturday, and I sat near a woman who was getting motion sickness. Her partner was like, “I can’t take you anywhere!” Then they started to talk about all the times they’d puked on planes. I finally got up and left to sit somewhere else. 8)

The taxi guy sounds like me. No way you’re sitting in my car with that green face!! 8)

Yes, QM, it does seem there’s always one person in a family who is the Archiver. I just talked to my friend Carolyn last night, and she mentioned that her mother’s step-brother played that role. It made me smile, thinking that there’s always one person. Isn’t that great? They do so much work for the rest of us.

And I will contact MM and see if he’d be interested in writing about the Scotland cemeteries.

John, thanks for stopping by. What wonderful art you create in the form of the Targe. I had no idea that anyone was still making them until I researched this piece as part of my family history exploration. I appreciated finding your site and reading about the history of the Targe. Thanks again.

sorry i haven’t replied sooner i have been busy researching and making my latest targe.
thanks for the kind comments there are a few still making targes today mostly for the re-enactment scene, to me it’s a labour of love.
if you need anymore information about Targes feel free to email me.

[…] Simons Island where we spent a few days and visited with relatives. We then drove north stopping in Fort Frederica and Upper Mill Cemetery in Darien. Our last stop was Savannah, a city I hope to visit again […]